In the charging process for underground mine production, a primer and detonator are inserted into holes drilled in the walls and explosive material is pumped into holes. Operators need to work on the charging process at the production front. The charging process includes preparing wires, assembling detonator packages, inserting the charge hose into each of the holes, pumping the explosives into the holes, and retracting the hose after the explosive is pumped into the holes. The process is not safe, ergonomic and cost efficient. The production front environment also contains many hazards, such as wall collapses, accidental explosions, rock bursts, etc.
An attempt at automating the charging process is disclosed in “Robotic Explosive Charging In Mining And Construction Applications” by A. Bonchis, E. Duff, J. Roberts, and M. Bosse, IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 245-250, January 2014.
There is a need for further imaging of environments, and more specifically, to automatically representing an environment while avoiding contact with the environment such as representing a rock wall having a plurality of spaced-apart holes for receiving charges for mining.